Quotes of the Day:
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
~C.S. Lewis
"There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now."
- James Baldwin
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
- Alan Kay
1. NSC officials stress U.S. has no hostile intent toward N. Korea
2. Restarting Yongbyon nuclear reactor is not violation of inter-Korean agreements, says Seoul official
3. Gov't struggles over news about Yongbyon
4. Foreign ministry, presidential office slammed for defending North Korea's suspected nuke program
5. A love affair with Pyongyang
6. 'Money or freedom': Is South Korea safe from China's infiltration?
7. North Korea boosts celebratory mood for founding anniversary
8. North Korea May Soon Stage First Military Parade Under Biden
9. South Korea develops submarine-launched missile often used to carry nuclear warheads
10. South Korea should spend more on defense and spend less time kowtowing to China
11. Former envoy: More focus on North Korean human rights
12. Navy launches new frigate equipped with anti-submarine torpedo
13. Hyesan officials intensify crackdowns on street vendors
14. Expert discussion on 'fake news' bill faces complications
15. Nearly half of Americans concerned about N. Korean nuclear program: report
16. No discussions with U.S. on USFK troop reduction: defense ministry
1. NSC officials stress U.S. has no hostile intent toward N. Korea
Until the north attacks the South. Then we will bring to bear the full weight of the combined military forces and end the Korea problem and settle the "Korea question" once and for all. However, if Kim chooses to act as a responsible member of the international community, end his nuclear and missile programs, end proliferation, cyber, and global illicit activities, end its strategy to dominate the Korean peninsula under the Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State, and most importantly end the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity, then we will gladly have no hostile intent toward the Kim family regime -note our hostile entinte is not directed toward north Korea and the Korean people living in the north (paradoxically the ROK and the US are more concern with the welfare of the kKorean people in the north than is KimJong-un).
NSC officials stress U.S. has no hostile intent toward N. Korea | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top security officials stressed the United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, as Seoul steps up diplomacy to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.
The officials discussed efforts to reengage with the North during a standing committee session of the National Security Council led by National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, amid worrisome signs of the reclusive regime restarting a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor.
The participants agreed on the need to continue consultation with Washington over the allies' joint package of policy measures to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The participants also agreed to strengthen communication with other relevant countries for an early resumption of dialogue with the North.
Seoul has been revving up diplomacy to move forward its stalled agenda for lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the International Atomic Energy Agency has said the North appears to have reactivated a key nuclear reactor at its mainstay Yongbyon complex.
Seoul and Washington have been discussing humanitarian assistance and other measures to encourage Pyongyang's return to dialogue, while the U.S. special representative for the North, Sung Kim, reiterated Washington has no hostile intent to Pyongyang.
Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have remained stalled since the Hanoi summit between then U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without a deal.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)
2. Restarting Yongbyon nuclear reactor is not violation of inter-Korean agreements, says Seoul official
That is quite an interpretation. If they are operating Yongbyon to contribute to developing nuclear weapons it would seem to be an obvious violation of the Panmunjom declaration, and the Pyongyang Agreement, and the Comprehensive Military Agreement.
I would urge a review and interpretation of the four main agreements to determine whether Yongbyon is a "violation" of either the spirit of letter of the agreements:
Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula. https://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/panmunjeom_declaration_for_peace.pdf/file_view
Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit https://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/180612-trump-kim-joint-statement.pdf/file_view
Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018 https://www.ncnk.org/node/1633
Agreement on the Implementation of the Historic Panmunjom Declaration in the Military Domain https://www.ncnk.org/sites/default/files/Agreement%20on%20the%20Implementation%20of%20the%20Historic%20Panmunjom%20Declaration%20in%20the%20Military%20Domain.pdf
Restarting Yongbyon nuclear reactor is not violation of inter-Korean agreements, says Seoul official
Posted September. 08, 2021 07:46,
Updated September. 08, 2021 07:46
Restarting Yongbyon nuclear reactor is not violation of inter-Korean agreements, says Seoul official. September. 08, 2021 07:46. by Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com.
South Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun said North Korea restarting its nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex in early July is not a violation of inter-Korean agreements.
At a plenary session of the National Assembly's foreign affairs and unification committee on Tuesday, Choi was asked if the North’s restarting of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon is a violation of the agreements made at the inter-Korean summit held at Panmunjom in 2018. Choi answered that he does not think so. “There are visible measures taken by North Korea, which are still in progress, from the agreements reached through the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration and the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration,” he said, citing the closing of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and the Dongchang-ri missile test site as examples.
One of the key officials at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae also said to correspondents that the presidential office also shares the same stance as Choi. Despite the Panmunjom Declaration, which states that the two Koreas confirmed the common goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization, both the government and Cheong Wa Dae don’t consider the North’s restarting of nuclear facilities as a violation of the agreements.
Regarding the U.S. Congress’ intention to include South Korea and Japan in the Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance comprising five countries, Choi said the South Korean government has not officially examined joining the alliance so far.
ticeable.
According to the analysis of Hanssem’s furniture sales by item from 2020 when COVID-19 broke out in South Korea to the first half of 2021, the sales of dining tables grew 53 percent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, followed by furniture for study (40 percent), mattress (20 percent), and sofa (12 percent). The survey of Hyundai Livart’s sales by item from January 2020 to June 2021 also had similar results. Kitchen furniture, including dining tables, grew 36 percent on average every quarter since the outbreak of COVID-19, recording the highest growth rate among all categories.
특히 식탁의 대형화 추세가 뚜렷했다. 현대리바트에 따르면 주방가구 중에서도 6인용 식탁 매출이 코로나19 이전보다 25%로 가장 높은 성장률을 보였다. 현대리바트 관계자는 “구색 맞추기용이던 6인용 식탁이 주력 상품으로 떠오른 것은 이례적”이라며 “1, 2인 가구는 4인용 식탁을 찾고 4인 가구는 6인용 식
3. Gov't struggles over news about Yongbyon
Yes, it is a struggle to make effective and credible excuses for Kim family regime behavior.
Wednesday
September 8, 2021
Gov't struggles over news about Yongbyon
First Vice Minister Choi Jong-kun speaks at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on Tuesday. [IM HYUN-DONG]
Asked if he thought North Korea violated agreements signed in 2018 if it restarted the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
The question during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee hearing Tuesday was from People’s Party Rep. Lee Tae-kyu.
“The visible measures that North Korea has taken to follow the agreement of the Panmunjom Declaration and Pyongyang Joint Declaration, such as destruction of a nuclear testing site […] are still in progress,” Choi added.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met three times in 2018 and signed two agreements, one during their summit in the Panmunjom area in April and another in Pyongyang in September.
Both agreements stressed pledges by the North to denuclearize. While the Yongbyon nuclear reactor is not mentioned in the Panmunjom Declaration, which states that the two Koreas “shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” the facility is explicitly mentioned in the Pyongyang Declaration.
“The North expressed its willingness to continue to take additional measures, such as the permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, as the United States takes corresponding measures in accordance with the spirit of the June 12 US-DPRK Joint Statement,” reads the declaration.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported last month that Pyongyang may have restarted its Yongbyon nuclear complex in July after leaving it dormant for about two and a half years. The complex is able to produce weapons-grade plutonium from spent fuel rods.
According to the IAEA report, there have been indications such as discharges of cooling water at the 5-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon complex in North Pyongan Province since July. The report’s findings were supported by satellite images of the site analyzed by the U.S.-based monitoring group 38 North.
Asked during the hearing whether he takes the IAEA report as evidence that the North has restarted its nuclear facility, the vice foreign minister answered, “I cannot say here whether I think the IAEA report is correct or not, but we have been monitoring the situation closely through our information channel with the United States.”
After the IAEA released its report last month, some officials in the South Korean government confirmed they had known about the activities at the Yongbyon site all along, sparking questions about whether they restored military hotlines with Pyongyang having known about the Yongbyon activities all along.
The two Koreas restored the hotlines on July 27, after 13 months. Pyongyang pulled the plug again, however, by mid-August, after Seoul and Washington launched a joint summer military exercise.
Unification Minister Lee In-young, also present during the hearing, was asked why the South Korean government did not alert the public about the activities in Yongbyon when it found out.
“We don’t make official announcements of every detail of our discussions with the United States about North Korea,” Lee said Tuesday. “The decision to go ahead with restoring the hotlines was made because it was deemed necessary at the time.”
A Blue House official, in meeting with the press on Tuesday afternoon, said the Blue House “stands with” the statement by Choi, and that it does not see activities at the Yongbyon site as a violation of the inter-Korean agreements.
The statement is an about-face given the previous official positions of the Blue House on the Yongbyon facility.
In meeting with the press on Sept. 19, 2019, the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Pyongyang Declaration, a high-ranking official from the Blue House stressed that “a major achievement of the Pyongyang Declaration was that the South was able to confirm the North’s commitment to destruction of the Yongbyon nuclear facility.”
President Moon admitted the importance of shutting down the Yongbyon facility in the greater scheme of the North’s denuclearization efforts.
“The Yongbyon complex is the mainstay of North Korea’s nuclear facilities,” Moon said during a joint written interview with Yonhap, AFP, AP and three other international news media outlets in June 2019. “If all of the nuclear facilities in the complex, including the plutonium reprocessing facilities and the uranium enrichment facilities, are completely demolished and verified, it would be possible to say that the denuclearization of North Korea has entered an irreversible stage.”
Pyongyang had over several occasions pledged to destroy the Yongbyon facility then walked back its promises.
Yongbyon began operation in 1986. North Korea agreed to shut down the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 and allow UN nuclear inspectors back into country in exchange for aid amid six-party talks with South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. It blew up the reactor’s cooling tower in 2008 to show its commitment. However, Pyongyang eventually walked away from the negotiating table in 2009.
BY ESTHER CHUNG, YOO JEE-HYE AND PARK HYUN-JU [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
4. Foreign ministry, presidential office slammed for defending North Korea's suspected nuke program
The key point and best explanation from our good friend, Shin Beom-chul.
"Not only Choi but also Cheong Wa Dae are interpreting the North's move to suit their agenda," said Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. "As the Moon Jae-in administration adheres to the desire for talks with North Korea, it cannot raise objections to such things."
Foreign ministry, presidential office slammed for defending North Korea's suspected nuke program
First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun speaks during a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting at the Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps
Gov't urged not to put the cart before the horse in North Korea policy
By Nam Hyun-woo
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has come under fire for defending North Korea's suspected resumption of its nuclear development program in Yongbyon after the vice minister stated that it would not be in violation of a series of inter-Korean agreements which contain Pyongyang's promise to abandon such a program.
Cheong Wa Dae also said it agreed with the vice minister's remarks, sparking criticism that the government is pandering to the North for the sake of pursuing President Moon Jae-in's peace initiative.
During a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee meeting Tuesday, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong-kun said he did not think North Korea's suspected restart of a nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, which was reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), would be a violation of the 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration between President Moon and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.
"I cannot say whether the report alleging North's nuclear program is correct or not," Choi said.
"Among the inter-Korean agreements in the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Pyongyang Declaration, measures that North Korea made tangibly are still in effect," Choi said, citing the North's shutdown of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site and Dongchang-ri missile launch site.
The presidential office agreed with Choi's assessment ― a senior official at Cheong Wa Dae said: "The office's stance is similar with Choi's view."
The comments came after a recent IAEA report, which said there were indications of the North starting the operation of a radiochemical laboratory, which oversees the reprocessing of nuclear fuels to produce plutonium, at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. It added restarting operations of the reactor and the laboratory was "deeply troubling" and a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Contrary to the government's interpretation, the Panmunjeom Declaration, which was adopted in April 27, 2018, states: "South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula."
In the Pyongyang Declaration, which was signed five months later, the North expressed its willingness to continue to take additional measures, such as the permanent dismantlement of its Yongbyon nuclear facility.
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un waves to the crowd during his visit to a Youth Day celebration in Pyongyang in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, Aug. 31. Yonhap
"Not only Choi but also Cheong Wa Dae are interpreting the North's move to suit their agenda," said Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. "As the Moon Jae-in administration adheres to the desire for talks with North Korea, it cannot raise objections to such things."
Shin criticized the government for putting the cart before the horse in its inter-Korean policy, while pursuing more tangible outcomes toward the end of Moon's presidency. "The goal of North Korea policies are not the talks themselves," he added.
Against this backdrop, the North is expected to increase military tension by displaying new weapons and missiles at a military parade to celebrate its Foundation Day that falls tomorrow.
Government sources said North Korea is highly likely to hold a military parade early in the morning. Satellite footage has already shown almost 10,000 troops along with military vehicles around the Mirim Parade Training Ground, in apparent preparation for the parade.
The government also believes it is possible that North Korea will unveiling a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and other new weapons in the parade. Reportedly, the North has invited a number of Chinese news outlets to broadcast the event, which is interpreted as the Kim regime's efforts to strengthen ties with China.
"If the North requested Chinese news outlets cover the parade, it is an indication that the Kim regime's efforts to close its borders and achieve self-reliance have failed," Shin added.
5. A love affair with Pyongyang
A short and powerful critique of the Moon administration.
Excerpt:
While the Blue House, government and DP are engrossed in inflating their fantasy about North Korea, the North continued to increase nuclear materials for weapons. Yet the vice foreign minister nonchalantly sided with North Korea. If the government continues keeping a low profile, it can never achieve the denuclearization of North Korea.
Wednesday
September 8, 2021
A love affair with Pyongyang
Appearing at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said that the reactivation of the Yongbyon nuclear facility in North Korea does not constitute a violation of inter-Korean agreements. He could make such arguments as a scholar, but must not do so as a senior government official. The reopening of the facility is directly related to the production of nuclear materials to make more nuclear weapons.
Yet Choi was busy forgiving the recalcitrant state as his boss — President Moon Jae-in — has done in the past. Choi may have based his remarks on the 2018 agreements between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in their summits, which did not specify the Yongbyon nuclear facility. But Choi interpreted the agreements too narrowly so as not to provoke North Korea. The April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration between Moon and Kim made it clear that both sides strive to create a “Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons through complete denuclearization.”
How could a top South Korean official deny North Korea’s violation of the agreement on Pyongyang’s behalf even when the facility reactivation goes against denuclearization? The 2018 declaration clearly mentioned the need for both sides to “thoroughly implement all past agreements,” including the 1991 Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
According to a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, signs of cooling water being released from a nuclear reactor at Yongbyon were detected early July after North Korea resumed spent fuel reprocessing to extract plutonium from February through July. Our government was certainly aware of these saber-rattling moves through intelligence cooperation with the U.S., yet the government kept mum.
Instead, it was busy hyping up an ephemeral restoration on July 27 of the inter-Korean military communication lines. But buoyed by the highly-calculated move by North Korea, more than 70 lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) rushed to call for the delay of a South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise. The government conspicuously scale back the size of the drill scheduled for August.
While the Blue House, government and DP are engrossed in inflating their fantasy about North Korea, the North continued to increase nuclear materials for weapons. Yet the vice foreign minister nonchalantly sided with North Korea. If the government continues keeping a low profile, it can never achieve the denuclearization of North Korea.
6. 'Money or freedom': Is South Korea safe from China's infiltration?
The China-South Korea soft power battle. But it is more than soft power. It is Chinese subversion and practicing political and economic warfare. Lessons from Australia potentially for South Korea.'
Excerpts:
"Beijing uses economic coercion quite ruthlessly," Hamilton noted. "Initially, the trade bans caused great consternation. But the government in Canberra made it very clear that Australia would not compromise or sacrifice its fundamental principles and would protect our democratic system from China's interference."
He added, despite the economic pain in some sectors, China's "economic bullying" also helped the Australian government and public to harden their attitude toward the country, and businesses to find new markets.
Hamilton advises countries to "not back down" in fighting China's retaliation, and to retain their independence by forming ties with other countries to avoid Beijing's influence.
"If we back down we will never get our independence back," he said. "It is important to continue to develop closer relations with other countries that want to protect their sovereignty from China's influence, interference, bullying and economic blackmail."
He emphasized that countries should position themselves firmly to respond to Beijing's attempts to manipulate them.
"Countries must ask themselves whether they are willing to pay a price in order to retain their national sovereignty and the democratic rights citizens enjoy," he said. "With an aggressive, authoritarian China threatening these, people must decide ― money or freedom."
'Money or freedom': Is South Korea safe from China's infiltration?
gettyimagesbankThis article is the last in a three-part series to highlight growing anti-China sentiment in Korea and the current state of relations between the two countries. ― ED
Clive Hamilton shares Australia's lessons from Chinese infiltration, advises South Korea to stand firm against assertive China
By Lee Gyu-lee
In a highly globalized world, cultural, economic and diplomatic interactions between countries are inevitable, especially when a certain country "pays well" with lucrative business opportunities.
But what if doing business with that country requires the counterpart to make considerable concessions in areas regarding key values such as freedom and sovereignty? What if the collision of money and freedom is seen as inevitable as a result of interaction with that country? These are the questions some nations, particularly those in the West, have been grappling with in recent years since they learned that China's rise as the world's second-largest economy has come at the cost of freedom. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has flexed its muscles in every key decision behind the scenes to redirect the global order.
As Australian author Clive Hamilton explains in his best-selling book "Silent Invasion," the CCP has taken multiple approaches to "infiltrate" foreign countries, utilizing party-backed institutions and the Chinese community overseas to spread Beijing's propaganda, lobbying politicians, and making generous donations and investments to get what the country wants.
The West has begun to take actions against this subterfuge.
In the United States, then-President Donald Trump blacklisted China's tech giant Huawei in 2019 and restricted its access to U.S. technologies such as processor chips and Google services, claiming the company was involved in espionage and had ties with the CCP.
Despite being the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, Huawei's 5G broadband network equipment was also banned in Australia in 2018 and the United Kingdom in 2020, for reasons of national security.
The partially obscured logo of Chinese tech giant Huawei whose 5G network equipment was banned in several countries. Yonhap
To cut the CCP's influence on U.S. campuses, the U.S passed a bill earlier this year that restricts universities hosting CCP-funded Confucius Institutes from receiving any federal funding, unless they agree to give the host university authority over the institute and provisions to grant academic freedom.
In Australia, which has been one of the biggest targets for China's infiltration tactics, the government imposed wide-ranging laws in 2018 to prevent foreign interference in politics and other domestic affairs. The laws required lobbyists working for foreign governments to publically register themselves and expanded the definition of espionage to include industrial espionage and theft of business trade secrets.
Another bill was passed that year to ban foreign donors from paying for political campaigns targeting Australians.
A string of counter-infiltration measures taken by Western countries has raised a key question for South Korea: Is it safe from infiltration by China?
Considering its past experiences and an ever-growing Chinese population in the country, the answer is maybe not.
Chinese nationals, including ethnic Korean Chinese citizens, represent the lion's share of the foreign population in South Korea. The number of Chinese citizens staying in Korea was on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Data compiled by state-run Statistics Korea showed that the number of Chinese nationals in Korea, including those without visas, was over 894,900 in 2020, roughly 44 percent of all foreign nationals residing in the country.
On South Korean university campuses, Chinese students dominate foreign student numbers, until last year when Vietnamese students took the lead with a slightly higher percentage. According to Statistics Korea, Chinese students accounted for about 76 percent of all foreign students in 2010, but the number slipped little by little to about 40 percent in 2019, then to 34 percent last year.
Professor Clive Hamilton, who is the author of "Silent Invasion" / Courtesy of Clive HamiltonBased on Australia's experience, Hamilton, who is also a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, advised South Korea to keep a watchful eye on the Chinese community, noting it is a conduit for the spread of CCP propaganda.
"Beijing weaponizes Chinese students abroad. Universities become afraid of their Chinese students and allow them to undermine academic freedom," he stated in a recent email interview with The Korea Times.
In his book, he delves into several cases where universities in Australia were pressured to avoid teaching anything that defies the CCP's party line and faced a backlash for "upsetting" the Chinese ― some even involved Chinese diplomatic officials. He also goes on to explain how the Australian government came to put in place a set of measures to counter China's infiltration.
"After Beijing had spent many years quietly building a network of influence in Australia, around 2018 the Australian government became alarmed and began to put in place measures to protect Australia's democracy and sovereignty," the professor said.
"(The public) were alerted to the problem mainly by media reports concerning donations by Chinese business people to our political parties, and the way certain politicians began kowtowing."
South Korea has experienced its own Chinese student-led collective action that pitted Chinese against locals.
Korean students and civic group members protest near the Chinese Embassy, located in central Seoul, in support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, in this file photo from November 2019. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukDuring the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement in 2019, tensions between Korean students, supporting the Hong Kong protest, and Chinese students led to scuffles at several universities. Chinese students also vandalized school bulletin boards and banners that were expressing solidarity with the movement, despite Koreans' arguing for freedom of speech.
The clash between South Koreans and Chinese students came nearly a decade after the nation was shocked by Chinese students violently assaulting a Korean human rights activists.
During the 2008 Olympic torch relay in Seoul, hundreds of jeering Chinese, mostly overseas students here, came out on the streets throughout the city and attacked small groups of pro-Tibet protesters who were voicing Tibet's right for independence from China's invasion and annexation of the bordering country.
Amid the conflict, the Chinese Embassy in Korea stepped in to express its regret over what was happening on local university campuses.
Anti-China sentiment has been growing here in recent years as South Koreans, particularly younger people, are infuriated with Chinese propaganda and its attempts at cultural appropriation, claiming to be the origin of traditional Korean clothing, hanbok, and the staple Korean fermented dish kimchi.
South Koreans simmering with discontent toward an assertive China took collective action against Gangwon Governor Choi Moon-soon's ambitious drive to create a Chinese cultural town in the province.
Gangwon Province's joint project with the CCP's official People's Daily newspaper and led by the local construction company Kolon Global met with an enormous backlash and a petition, which resulted in its shutdown.
"Kolon Global has internally decided to call off the project. We are aware that they are sorting out joint ventures and are waiting for them to officially announce the cancellation," an official for Gangwon Province told The Korea Times.
However, unlike in the West, incidents like Chinese students' collective actions and the scrapping of Gangwon Province's Chinese cultural town project have not resulted in a policy discourse to address or curb China's influence in South Korea.
Economic retaliation
The country's heavy trade reliance on China is most often mentioned as a key factor that keeps Korean politicians silent on delicate matters.
Over the past decade, the value of Korea's exports to China has averaged about $140 billion annually, according to a report by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.
In 2020, Korea's trade volume with China ― combining exports and imports ― was $241.5 billion, about 25 percent of Korea's total trade, and almost double the $131.6 billion with the U.S. and triple the $71.1 billion with Japan.
Such dependence only provides greater leverage for the Chinese government to use against Korea, allowing for threats of economic retaliation from Beijing.
Australia's actions to put up safeguards against China's imperialistic policies also came at a cost, resulting in much-expected economic retaliation from China. Trade tariffs and arbitrary bans were imposed on key Australian exports to China, such as wine, seafood, beef, copper and barley.
"Beijing uses economic coercion quite ruthlessly," Hamilton noted. "Initially, the trade bans caused great consternation. But the government in Canberra made it very clear that Australia would not compromise or sacrifice its fundamental principles and would protect our democratic system from China's interference."
He added, despite the economic pain in some sectors, China's "economic bullying" also helped the Australian government and public to harden their attitude toward the country, and businesses to find new markets.
Hamilton advises countries to "not back down" in fighting China's retaliation, and to retain their independence by forming ties with other countries to avoid Beijing's influence.
"If we back down we will never get our independence back," he said. "It is important to continue to develop closer relations with other countries that want to protect their sovereignty from China's influence, interference, bullying and economic blackmail."
He emphasized that countries should position themselves firmly to respond to Beijing's attempts to manipulate them.
"Countries must ask themselves whether they are willing to pay a price in order to retain their national sovereignty and the democratic rights citizens enjoy," he said. "With an aggressive, authoritarian China threatening these, people must decide ― money or freedom."
7. North Korea boosts celebratory mood for founding anniversary
I will never forget the words of Ranger Instructor Sergeant Jethro Pugh bellowing at the top of his lungs as we did PT in the sawdust pit. : "False motivation will get you nowhere." Is this sincere or false motivation among the Korean people living in the north?
North Korea boosts celebratory mood for founding anniversary
In this Aug. 31 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, meets the participants in Youth Day celebrations during a photo session at an undisclosed place in North Korea. North Korea is ramping up the celebratory mood ahead of its founding anniversary this week amid speculation that Pyongyang is preparing a military parade. AP-YonhapNorth Korea on Wednesday ramped up the celebratory mood ahead of its founding anniversary this week amid speculation that Pyongyang is preparing a military parade.
Earlier, the official Rodong Sinmun reported on greetings delivered to leader Kim Jong-un from heads of foreign states on its front page, along with articles on flowers sent from foreign embassies stationed in Pyongyang to celebrate the state founding anniversary that falls on Thursday.
The paper also reported on concerts, forums, photo exhibitions and other events organized in Pyongyang and overseas to mark the upcoming anniversary.
North Korea appears to be bolstering the celebratory mood and national solidarity ahead of Thursday's anniversary at a time when it is struggling with the fallout from the protracted fight against the coronavirus pandemic and border controls taking a toll on its already anemic economy.
Speculation is also mounting North Korea could hold a military parade on the occasion of the anniversary. Earlier, a large number of troops were reportedly observed in Pyongyang, raising the possibility a military parade could be held in the days to come.
The possibility of a military parade in North Korea draws attention as North Korea recently warned of a "serious security crisis" in protest over the combined military exercise staged last month by South Korea and the United States.
North Korea usually uses such national anniversaries to hold military parades and showcase its state-of-the-art weaponry.
Last October, North held a massive military parade to mark the 75th party founding anniversary and unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and several other advanced military assets.
The North's latest military parade was held in January right after its rare party congress. Leader Kim attended the event and pledged to bolster the country's nuclear arsenal. (Yonhap)
8.North Korea May Soon Stage First Military Parade Under Biden
This event does not normally include a large military component unless it is on a decade anniversary.
North Korea May Soon Stage First Military Parade Under Biden
September 7, 2021, 2:45 AM EDT
- Yonhap News says the parade could take place this week
- Satellite imagery indicates North Korea is preparing for event
North Korean soldiers take part in a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 2017. Photographer: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
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North Korea could hold a military parade this week as it celebrates a national anniversary, Yonhap News Agency reported, an event that would mark the first major public display of its weaponry since U.S. President Joe Biden took office.
Given the status of preparation, leader Kim Jong Un’s regime may stage the event at night and have it coincide with the Sept. 9 anniversary of the state’s founding, Yonhap reported Tuesday citing unidentified military sources. South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea’s movements, including preparations for large-scale events like a parade, Kim Jun-rak, a Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman, said at a briefing.
Satellite imagery indicates North Korea has been moving troops and vehicles in recent days to a Pyongyang staging area it uses to prepare for parades, the 38 North website and Yonhap reported last week. The state’s last parade was in January, before Biden’s inauguration, where it showed off developments in its ballistic missile program.
A parade would serve as a chilling reminder to Biden that Kim’s military might has grown more lethal as nuclear disarmament talks have sputtered. Under Kim, North Korea has been steadily adding to its stockpile of fissile material and increasing its arsenal of missiles that could strike the U.S. and its allies.
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But Kim is struggling with an economy that has only gotten smaller since he took power about a decade ago in large part from sanctions to punish him for tests of nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver warheads. The North Korean leader has so far shown no interest in sitting down with the Biden administration, which has said it’s open for discussions and indicated it could offer economic incentives in exchange for disarmament steps.
It usually takes North Korea several weeks to prepare for a parade, which means it might also be looking for a display in early October to celebrate the anniversary of the foundation of its ruling Workers’ Party.
Return of Rocket Man
Missile tests under Kim Jong Un
Sources: South Korea Ministry of Defense and Center for Nonproliferation Studies
At a parade last October to mark the event, North Korea rolled out what experts said was the state’s largest display of new weaponry under Kim, including what they described as the world’s biggest road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile. The so-far-untested missile could allow North Korea to pack multiple atomic weapons on a single rocket to attack the U.S., experts said.
Kim has staged his recent military parades at night to increase the dramatic effect of the events that have been a staple of the state for decades. The last two versions included stunts like LED lighting on jet fighters flying by and drone shots following thousands of goose-stepping soldiers marching through the main square in Pyongyang named after state founder Kim Il Sung -- the current leader’s grandfather.
9. South Korea develops submarine-launched missile often used to carry nuclear warheads
My thoughts below.
South Korea develops submarine-launched missile often used to carry nuclear warheads
South Korean military developers reportedly conducted a successful test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, an apparent boon for the U.S. ally’s effort to offset North Korea’s arsenal of conventional and nuclear weapons.
“It will provide the ROK Navy with a stand-off missile capability that can be very effective off the east coast of North Korea,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow David Maxwell said.
The reported test endows South Korea with the curious distinction of being the only country known to develop submarine-launched ballistic missiles without also developing nuclear warheads, he added. South Korean officials have pledged recently to develop weapons “with significantly enhanced destructive power" as North Korean officials are preparing a military parade of their own.
"Our military secures advanced high-powered military assets to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula by building strong military capabilities and plans to continue to develop them,” the South Korean defense ministry said , without directly confirming the test.
Analysts in South Korea and the United States agreed that Seoul is unlikely to try to develop its own nuclear warheads to place on those submarine-launched missiles. "As long as the United States and South Korea maintain their alliance, Seoul will not develop nuclear weapons," Ewha University professor Leif-Eric Easley told the Japan Times.
Maxwell concurred that South Korea is unlikely to violate the Non-Proliferation Treaty, although he acknowledged that "the ROK has the technological capability to produce nuclear weapons if it chose" to do so. Still, the reported launch attests to South Korea’s potential for technological advancements, analysts say, although this specific weaponry might not have significant ramifications beyond the Korean Peninsula.
“It really will not add significant capabilities for the alliance,” Maxwell said. “I expect the ROK will want to employ this capability as part of its kill chain concept to target North Korean missiles prior to launch.”
That development comes as Western officials see a growing nuclear threat from both China and North Korea.
“China’s nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding ... without any limitation or constraint. And with a complete lack of transparency,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday at a NATO conference on arms control. “There are also other players fielding nuclear weapons and advanced missile systems. North Korea and Iran, for example, are blatantly ignoring or breaking the global rules and spreading dangerous technology.”
In that context, the limitations of the new missile, it reportedly has a range of 500 km and evokes a tendency in South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s team that disappoints some U.S strategists.
“The South Koreans have become so focused on North Korea, and particularly under Moon, that has come at the expense of being seen in the United States ... as a larger regional partner,” said American Foreign Policy Council senior fellow Alex Gray, who worked as White House National Security Council chief of staff during President Donald Trump’s tenure. “They're punching below their weight on China competition, and the narrative is beginning to take hold in Washington that they're kind of a one-trick pony.”
South Korean foreign policy calculations are complicated by the country’s economic dependence on China, which used that leverage to retaliate over Seoul’s decision to deploy a missile defense system that featured a radar potentially capable of detecting not only North Korean missiles but Chinese launches.
“As long as the threat from the north exists, we should not expect a large ROK contribution off the peninsula,” Maxwell said. “It would be foolish to detract from ROK capabilities on the peninsula. And the ROK has been walking the tightrope between China (its largest trading partner) and the U.S., its security partner.”
10. South Korea should spend more on defense and spend less time kowtowing to China
For Mr. Rogan: the Trump administration is no longer in office. It is time to recognize that the ROK makes a significant contribution to its defense and provides a very fair amount in terms of cost sharing.
South Korea just tested a new SLBM and is launching a new frigate, developing a light aircraft carrier, and is buying F-35samong many other defense advancements.
We should note the Moon administration has significantly increased ROK defense spending in the tradition of most liberal presidents.
South Korea should spend more on defense and spend less time kowtowing to China
by Tom Rogan, Commentary Writer | | September 07, 2021 03:49 PM
The United States makes an extraordinary investment of life, treasure, and risk in South Korea's defense.
Approximately 25,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in South Korea. They include two Air Force fighter wings, elements from the Marine Corps, Navy, and Special Operations Command, and the 8th U.S. Army. Their mission is to assist South Korea in deterring and, if necessary, defeating a North Korean invasion. Their presence has preserved peace on the Korean peninsula for nearly 70 years.
But America's investment shouldn't come without two basic strings attached.
First, South Korea should bear a fairer share of defending itself. The U.S. continues to pay an outsize share of the costs involved in stationing so many U.S. personnel in South Korea. As Chung Min Lee observes , while Seoul spends about 2.9% of GDP on defense, that figure will likely fall as an aging population forces increased welfare spending. Top line: President Moon Jae-in has increased defense spending, but not sufficiently so.
It's worse than that. Like the U.S. military, South Korea has blown much of its already inadequate defense account on the overrated F-35 strike fighter . Reflecting North Korea's decrepit air force, the U.S. Air Force fighter presence in South Korea centers on F-16s rather than F-15s or F-35s (F-16s possess a superior air-to-ground combat capability).
The second problem is South Korea's supplicant approach to dealing with China. There's great hypocrisy in play here. While South Korea welcomes U.S. defense investments against North Korean coercion, it ignores the need for cooperation against similar coercion from China. Facing China's effort to seize the South China Sea and subjugate global democracies in deference to its interests, South Korea continues to sing China's praises. Moon's foreign minister recently referred to China as one of his nation's "closest" partners. We'll likely see another example of this deference next week when Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visits Seoul.
It shouldn't be this way.
While younger South Koreans are frustrated at Moon's policy, he continues to bow before Beijing. Like Germany, South Korea accepts vast Chinese trade investments in return for ignoring China's aggression. It's no longer tolerable for Seoul to eat its Chinese cake at the expense of U.S. interests.
Yes, South Korea has the right to pursue whatever policies it sees fit. But so does the U.S. Washington should thus make clear to Seoul that its current defense spending and China policies are intolerable. And that America's continued military presence in South Korea, at least at scale, is dependent on remedial action.
11. Former envoy: More focus on North Korean human rights
Human rights is not only a moral imperative, it is a national security issue. Kim Jong-un must deny the human rights of the Korean people living in the north tin order for the Kim family regime to remain in power.
Perhaps the administration is considering recalling AMbassador King as the special envoy for north Korean human rights. He did great work as the first and only special envoy. My recommendation for the next envoy is Greg Scarlatoiu, the executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in north Korea (truth in advertising, I am a member of the board of HRNK as is Ambassador King).
Former envoy: More focus on North Korean human rights
U.S. policy toward North Korea should focus more on human rights, the former top American diplomat working on such matters said Tuesday, even as Pyongyang tries to prevent outside criticism from reaching its people.
“North Korea is one of the most isolated places on the face of the Earth. It is illegal to listen to foreign radio. It is illegal to watch foreign television. It is illegal to listen to anything but official government-sponsored media,” said former Ambassador Robert R. King, who served as U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights under President Obama.
The human rights special envoy post has remained vacant since early 2017, when Mr. King stepped down. Former President Donald Trump, who pushed top-down diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, never nominated a replacement. The Biden administration has said it intends to, but has given no timeline.
Speaking during “The Washington Brief,” a virtual event series hosted by The Washington Times Foundation, Mr. King stressed the critical importance of human rights issues to the overall approach to North Korea on the divided and heavily armed Korean Peninsula.
With the Kim regime accused of holding as many as 150,000 political prisoners in work and reeducation camps, a focus on rights could have a game-changing impact, Mr. King said. The more people inside North Korea know of their government’s behavior — and of the disapproval other governments have toward it — the more pressure on Mr. Kim’s regime.
“Knowing what’s happening in other parts of the world is important to encourage the North Korean government to move in a more positive direction on human rights,” he said, even though the “greatest concern” remains Pyongyang‘s nuclear weapons and missile programs.
“I think it’s important that North Korea recognize that to be fully accepted internationally, it has human rights obligations that it needs to follow and observe,” he said.
His remarks come at a moment when the Biden administration is exploring ways to kick-start any kind of diplomacy with North Korea. Mr. Biden has named Ambassador Sung Kim as special envoy for North Korea and Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported Tuesday that Mr. Kim will huddle next week with his Japanese and South Korea counterparts in Tokyo next week to discuss collective North Korea policy.
Others who appeared alongside Mr. King for the “The Washington Brief” series on Tuesday said prospects for new talks with Pyongyang remain dim, but generally agreed with Mr. King’s call that U.S. policy should be placing more emphasis on human rights issues.
“I think this is one of the tools, one of the issues, that I think we could see some progress on and we do need to see progress on,” said Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, a former CIA official and longtime U.S. diplomatic adviser. “This is the right thing to do. If North Korea wants to come back into the family of nations, if they want normal relations with the United States, they need to show some progress on issues like human rights, not only nuclear issues,” he said.
But Alexandre Mansourov, professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies, said it was unlikely either North Koreans or the Biden administration will be back at the negotiating table anytime soon.
“The Biden administration, after the Afghanistan debacle, I don’t think can afford any new robust aggressive foreign policy initiative and that’s what the resumption of all out talks with North Korea on nuclear or whatever other issues will have to be,” Mr. Mansourov said.
He also asserted that the Biden administration has undercut its credibility on human rights by flirting with the possibility of recognizing the new Taliban government in Afghanistan.
“We just left a country in the hands of a terrorist group which we fought for 20 years, a group which likes to stone people with whom they disagree, especially of a different gender,” Mr. Mansourov said. “So, we’re going to tell the North Koreans, ‘Now you have to come into compliance with international human rights norms because otherwise we’re not going to normalize relations with you?’”
Mr. King repeatedly emphasized the need to push outside streams of information into the country to provide an alternative to the ruling regime’s propaganda, a job made harder by Pyongyang‘s strict controls on internet use and international phone connections.
“But there is an effort underway,” Mr. King said, noting efforts to transmit radio broadcasts into the North from South Korea and from China. “Interestingly enough, Chinese radio is far freer than North Korean radio, which is somewhat of an indictment of the situation in North Korea,” he said.
12. Navy launches new frigate equipped with anti-submarine torpedo
Navy launches new frigate equipped with anti-submarine torpedo
YonhapThe Navy was to hold a launching ceremony Wednesday for a new 2,800-ton frigate with improved anti-submarine capabilities.
The new warship Pohang is the sixth of the country's FFX Batch II frigates to replace the Navy's 1,500-ton frigates and 1,000-ton patrol combat corvettes, according to the military.
The ceremony was to be held at its manufacturer Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's Okpo shipyard on the southern island of Geoje, with the attendance of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Won In-choul.
With some 120 crew members aboard, the 122-meter frigate will carry various weapons, including ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface missiles as well as a helicopter for naval operations.
The new frigate also has improved capability to detect and attack submarines with a towed array sonar system and a long-range anti-submarine torpedo, according to the military.
"To protect our maritime sovereignty and national interest, we need a strong naval power among other things," Won said in a congratulatory message.
The new warship will be delivered to the Navy in early 2023 after a trial period. (Yonhap)
13. Hyesan officials intensify crackdowns on street vendors
If there is any location in north Korea with resistance potential it is Hysean.
The regime believes this kind of economic activity is a threat to its control. On the other hand, it is a good way to extort money from the "capitalists."
Hyesan officials intensify crackdowns on street vendors - Daily NK
Personnel from Yanggang Province’s Ministry of Social Security are engaged in a frenzied crackdown against street vendors, arresting any they encounter.
A source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Aug. 29 that “on Aug. 24 a cat-and-mouse chase took place in Hyehung District, Hyesan, between street vendors and personnel from Ministry of Social Security and local inspection teams,” and that “this kind of thing happens almost every day now.”
As part of their efforts to acquire money for the purchase of daily sustenance, street vendors bring less than KPW 150,000 worth of sundry goods and food to sell at the entrances of alleyways. However, local police are cracking down on this practice and confiscating the entire inventories of the vendors without caring about why they are selling goods this way.
The average daily income of a street vendor is approximately KPW 2,000 to 4,000, but the fines required to recover confiscated items can be more than twice this amount, ranging from a minimum of KPW 5,000 to a maximum of KPW 10,000. The source explained that, as a result, if vendors are caught in the crackdown and pay a fine, their families go hungry.
Under these circumstances, vendors make every effort to escape the grasp of the authorities when they sell goods on the street.
In this undated photograph, North Koreans are seen peddling goods at a street market in Hyesan, Yanggang Province / Image: Daily NK
Choe, 43, was arrested on Aug. 22 in Hyesan District while selling vegetables in an alleyway.
Choe pleaded with the authorities, saying “I just got here, and I have no money. Give me a break this time, and I’ll pay the fine as soon as I sell something,” but the officers responded by taunting: “Why are you doing business if you have no money to pay the fines? Going around and enforcing this crackdown is hard on us, too.”
Choe grew heated, responding: “If I can’t earn today, my entire family will go hungry. I have no choice but to take insults from people like you while I break my back selling from dawn until dusk. You call us traitors? Why can’t we do business in peace?”
“The police have recently been carrying out a frenzied crackdown against street vendors under the pretext of enforcing an order issued last April to wipe out the businesses of street vendors,” the source said, adding, “Their wallets have gotten lighter because of the extended border closure, and they’re cracking down on street vendors and levying fines for cigarette money.”
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
14. Expert discussion on 'fake news' bill faces complications
I hope cooler heads who believe in democracy will prevail and this bill will not be passed.
Excerpt:
While the two sides still remain at odds over the bill, discussions are unlikely to yield an agreement by the deadline, and clashes between the parties are expected to resume at the Assembly. The DPK has said it will put the bill to a vote at the Sept. 27 plenary session regardless of the outcome of the discussions, whereas the PPP has said the bill should not be passed if the consultative body fails to reach an agreement.
Expert discussion on 'fake news' bill faces complications
Members of a consultative body created by the country's two major parties hold its first meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday, to review details of the ruling party's contentious revision bill to penalize publishers of alleged "fake news." Joint Press CorpsBy Jung Da-min
A consultative body created by the country's two major parties held its first meeting, Wednesday, to discuss details of the ruling party's contentious revision bill to penalize publishers of alleged "fake news."
The likelihood of the body reaching an agreement, however, appears slim as the participants have clearly different opinions on the issue. Wide speculation is that they will end up with no results and the clash between the parties will resume ahead of the planned National Assembly plenary vote on the bill on Sept. 27.
The eight-member consultative body is comprised of four lawmakers, two each from the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), and four media experts, two recommended by each party.
The DPK and the PPP agreed to form the consultative body, Aug. 31, after rounds of discussions over the bill between the parties fell apart. The DPK had initially planned to railroad the legislative process of the bill using its super majority in the National Assembly, but faced strong backlash from opposition parties as well as civic and media organizations here and around the world advocating freedom of expression.
While the two parties agreed to operate the body until Sept. 26, a day before the scheduled plenary session, the eight members of the consultative body are not likely to reach an agreement over the bill by the deadline, considering that the parties put forward members who have been strongly voicing the views of their respective parties.
The two experts representing the PPP side are Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Law School professor Moon Jae-wan and Shin Hee-seok, a legal analyst with the Transitional Justice Working Group, a Seoul-based organization advocating human rights.
Shin sent a letter to the Office of the United National High Commissioner for Human Rights last month to raise issue with the DPK bill. In response, Irene Khan, a U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression, delivered an open letter to the South Korean government late last month, in which she said the bill could severely restrict the rights to freedom of information and of expression of the media.
Representing the DPK side are Song Hyun-joo, a media professor at Hallym University who has publicly expressed support for the DPK's bill in his recent columns, and Kim Pil-sung, a lawyer at local law firm Garosu who is known for defending Chung Kyung-sim, wife of scandal-plagued former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, over her document fabrication to help her daughter gain admission to a local medical school.
While the two sides still remain at odds over the bill, discussions are unlikely to yield an agreement by the deadline, and clashes between the parties are expected to resume at the Assembly. The DPK has said it will put the bill to a vote at the Sept. 27 plenary session regardless of the outcome of the discussions, whereas the PPP has said the bill should not be passed if the consultative body fails to reach an agreement.
15. Nearly half of Americans concerned about N. Korean nuclear program: report
I am personally concerned with much more than the nuclear program.I am most concerned with the nature, objectives, and strategy of the Kim family regime. The nuclear program is just one part of the larger problem with the KFR.
Nearly half of Americans concerned about N. Korean nuclear program: report | Yonhap News Agency
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- About half of people in the United States are concerned about North Korea's nuclear program, a report said Tuesday, citing a recent poll.
"On other top national security matters, about half of Republicans and Democrats are concerned by North Korea's nuclear program, and about 7 in 10 say the same about the threat of cyberattacks," the Associated Press reported, citing its own survey.
It said the survey was conducted jointly with NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on Aug. 12-16, involving 1,729 adults in the U.S.
The poll showed more Americans are concerned about threats coming from inside than those posed by outside actors.
"According to the poll, about two-thirds of Americans say they are extremely or very concerned about the threat from extremist groups inside the U.S. By contrast, about one-half say they are extremely or very concerned about the threat from foreign-based militants," said the report.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
16. No discussions with U.S. on USFK troop reduction: defense ministry
Koreans are so sensitive about this. We need to get over it. Yes there may be some adjustments due to the Global Force Posture Review but there is no intention of any withdrawal of US troops.
(LEAD) No discussions with U.S. on USFK troop reduction: defense ministry | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: ADDS more info in last 3 paras)
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States had no discussions on reducing American troop levels in South Korea, the defense ministry said Monday, after a U.S. House committee passed a bill not specifying a lower limit for the number of its soldiers stationed here.
On Thursday, the U.S. House committee on armed services passed a defense authorization bill that does not specify the lower limit for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
U.S. Congress began adding a lower limit for the 28,500-strong USFK in 2018, after then President Donald Trump started to use the troop levels as a bargaining chip in talks with South Korea over negotiations on how to share the cost for the upkeep of the American troops here.
An informed source has said the removal of such a clause was because the Joe Biden administration has no plans to reduce troop levels in the Asian ally.
"I once again stress that there were no discussions with the U.S. side on reducing USFK troop levels," deputy ministry spokesman Col. Moon Hong-sik said during a regular press briefing.
A foreign ministry official stressed that Washington has confirmed it has no intention to pare down the U.S. troop presence here.
"We don't think the removal of the clause means a policy shift of the U.S. government," the official said.
"South Korea and the U.S. share the firm understanding of the role of and the need for the USFK," he added.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)
V/R
David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Phone: 202-573-8647
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
